tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467119.post115144486866905561..comments2023-10-24T10:09:22.146+01:00Comments on The Yorkshire Ranter: Against mass surveillance, againAlexhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17153530634675543954noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5467119.post-1154244644817537082006-07-30T08:30:00.000+01:002006-07-30T08:30:00.000+01:00In Ireland, under the State's data retention legis...In Ireland, under the State's data retention legislation, details - but not the content - of every phone, mobile and fax call is stored for three years. This information includes a daily record of the physical location of mobile phone users and data on every number called, the time of the call and its duration.<BR/> GardaĆ can access such data for any crime, including trivial misdemeanours. Although Minister for Justice Michael McDowell had promised that access to call data would be tightly controlled, access restrictions were never imposed, a situation repeatedly criticised by Data Protection Commissioner Billy Hawkes.<BR/><BR/>An incoming EU directive will expand the range of information collected to include e-mail and internet usage data. Ireland already has the longest retention period for such data in Europe - three years. A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice said the Department is already challenging the EU directive - which would only allow the State to hold data for two and a half years, shorter than the Irish legislation.The Knitterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06447618539832675360noreply@blogger.com